1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to phonorecord cleaners and, more especially, to an improved phonorecord cleaner having a handle member journalled for relative rotational movement with respect to a phonorecord contact member whereby movement of the cleaner device in an arcuate path corresponding generally to the spiral groove pattern on a phonorecord maintains uniform contact between a wiping surface on the cleaner and the grooves in the recording band of the phonorecord.
2. Description of the Background Art
Phonorecords have long enjoyed wide-spread popularity as a convenient means for sound reproduction. Recordings of musical compositions or the like are conventionally reproduced for mass distribution in the form of phonorecords. Customarily, the phonorecord is manufactured from a vinyl material in the form of a disc having a center aperture for positioning the phonorecord on the spindle of a record player or record changer, a recording band in the form of a spiral groove proceeding from a location near the outer periphery of the disc radially inward, and smooth areas where no sound or information is recorded at the extreme periphery of the disc and between the recording band and the center aperture.
It is important to maintain the grooved or recording band area of a phonorecord free from dust or other debris which tends to accumulate during use. These particles often attracted to the record due to static electric charges developed in the vinyl material from which it is made, interfere with the accurate reproduction of the sound information recorded on the phonorecord thereby resulting in a loss of fidelity. These dust particles or other debris must be removed routinely to insure faithful sound reproduction.
Various devices have been proposed for cleaning phonorecords to alleviate the problems attendant collection of dust or the like within the grooves of the record. These proposals range from a simple wiping cloth moved by hand around or across the face of the phonorecord to fairly complicated mechanical devices which automatically rotate and clean the record surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,472,517 discloses one approach for cleaning a phonograph record. This device consists of a pair of frames having opposing faces covered with a fabric such as velvet. A phonorecord to be cleaned is disposed between the frame members which are then closed to cause the fabric to come in contact with the grooved surfaces of the record. The record is then rotated and debris removed.
Another similar appliance is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,401. This device is designed to receive a portion of a phonorecord in a slot between a pair of brushes and includes means to rotate the record automatically in order to clean the recording band thereof. The device of this '401 patent also has an electric fan which removes the dust or other particulate as it is dislodged from the record grooves.
A manual cleaning device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,977,127. This cleaner has a pair of arms hinged at one end so that they may be folded into contact with the grooved area of a phonorecord. One of the arms terminates in a pin and the other in an aperture for receipt thereof when the device is in a folded position. The pin is inserted through the center aperture in the phonorecord, the cleaner is folded into mating engagement with the vinyl record and it is then rotated manually for the removal of debris. A very similar device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,261,688.
The patented devices described above are far preferable to the common practice of merely wiping a phonorecord with a cloth material since each of the patented cleaners presents a cleaning surface which will "track" with the grooves in the phonorecord as opposed to moving across grooves, as inherently occurs when wiping with a cloth. However, these devices nonetheless have certain drawbacks. The cleaners disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,977,127 and 1,261,688 require the user to grasp a portion of the phonorecord in order to rotate it for cleaning. The need to grasp the record results in fingerprints and the deposition of oil from the skin which then serves as a means to attract further debris. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,401 is mechanically quite complicated and, hence, expensive to manufacture and/or prone to failure. Use of any of the cleaners discussed above requires the phonorecord to be removed from the record changer which is not always convenient.
Accordingly, the need exists for an improved phonorecord cleaner of simplified construction which nonetheless efficiently removes debris from the recording band or grooved area of a phonorecord in a convenient manner.